>> Police in southern
California say the suspect in a
deadly mass shooting in
Monterey park is now dead.
The Los Angeles county sheriff
says 73 year old Hugh khan Tran
died from a self inflicted
gunshot wound and was found
inside a cargo van.
He was accused of opening fire
at a dance studio Saturday
night, killing ten people and
injuring ten others during
lunar new year celebration.
After the shooting, the sheriff
says he went to another
gathering nearby.
>> The suspect went to this
location after he conducted the
shooting, and he was disarmed
by two community members who I
consider to be heroes.
They saved lives.
This could've been much worse.
>> And it was that seized
weapon that allowed police to
identify him.
And we're learning evidence in
the fan used by the suspect of
things turned to the location
of the mass shooting.
The chief of place in Monterey
park described officers on the
scene encountered Saturday
night.
>> The first officers on scene
where some of my youngest
officers.
They've only been on the street
for a short period of time.
When they came into the parking
lot, it was chaos.
There were wounded people,
there were people trying to
flee out all the doors.
They immediately went into
action, and within just a
couple minutes, those officers
had entered the location
looking for the suspect.
That's our protocol here.
We don't wait.
Inside, they came across a
scene that none of them have
been prepared for.
So, there were injured people
inside, there were dead people
inside, and my young officers
did their job, searched for a
suspect, and then came back and
had to deal with the carnage
that was inside.
And it was extensive.
>> Police say seven people who
survived the shooting remained
hospitalized.
Now, the community of Monterey
park is grappling with becoming
the latest city to be shaken by
a deadly mass shooting.
>> This is a community where my
kids took art lessons.
We come down here for food all
the time.
We see others walking around
all the time.
This is been a safe
neighborhood for them to walk
around and have community.
Historic Chinese Taiwanese
community.
To see this happen in this
place is shattering.
>> The sheriff says the
investigation is ongoing as
police work to determine a
motive for the tragic event.
CNN's Natasha Chen has more
from Monterey park.
>> On Sunday evening, an lunar
new year, when this community
was supposed to be celebrating,
law enforcement gave a press
conference confirming that a
man they had cornered in a
white van in Torrance,
California, was in fact the
shooter of this Monterey park
scene, just a couple blocks
away from us, or on Saturday
night, he opened fire, police
said, killing ten people,
almost 24 hours later, still
seven people are in the
hospital.
Now, we understand that the
ages of the victims range in
the 50s, 60s, and beyond.
The coroner's office began to
take away remains on Sunday
afternoon, and they still in
the process of identifying the
people who died.
Now, it took about 12 hours for
police to find this person in
Torrance, about --
a few miles south of Monterey
park.
At this point, police say he
went from the stands tall in
Monterey park to a different
one in Alhambra, a city north
of where we are.
That's where law enforcement
says that that person matching
the same suspect description
went in armed, and a couple
people actually wrestled with
him, tackled him, and were able
to recover the weapon that he
had.
That's how police were able to
also recover that weapon and
begin to trace who this person
might be.
Now, this community is still
reeling and stunned after this
mass shooting happened, and
just after the first day of the
city of Monterey park's huge
lunar new year festival that
had more than 100,000 people on
the streets, and many of the
people speaking at the press
conference, local leaders, or
at those festivities.
Just a couple hours before this
tragedy, they have reassured
the community that they are now
safe, but the person that
police say died of a self
inflicted gunshot wound when
police cornered him in Torrance,
that person is no longer with
us, as they put it, and there's
no longer a threat to the
community.
And this is, indeed, a huge
blow to a predominantly Asian
community in Monterey park here,
again, about to celebrate the
lunar new year, supposedly a
time for joy, for, health and
prosperity.
Instead, having to mourn the
loss of their neighbors and
loved ones.
Natasha Chen, CNN, we Monterey
park, California.
>> U.S. President Joe Biden has
ordered flags at the white
house and other federal
buildings in Washington to fly
at half staff until sunset on
Thursday, and if respect for
the shooting victims.
The president called it a
senseless attack and pledged
federal support for California.
Authorities are investigating
the incident.
Kamala Harris also addressed
the tragedy.
>> A time of a cultural
celebration.
And yet, another community has
been torn apart by senseless
gun violence.
So, Doug and I join the
president and Dr. Biden, and
everyone here, and warning for
those who were killed.
As we pray for those who were
injured and, and as we grieve
for those many people whose
lives are forever changed.
>> We're also hearing a
reaction from stop aapi hate,
an organization that aims to
address anti Asian hate and
racism across the united
States.
And the statements following
the shooting, it said, quote,
our community has faced so much
tragedy and trauma over the
last several years.
This tremendous act of violence
on one of the most important
days of the year for many Asian
Americans, a place where Asian
awaken families come together
to celebrate, sending
shockwaves throughout our
community.
>> I'm joined by Julia --
governmental affairs.
So good to have you with us,
Julia.
A celebration that
unfortunately turned into a
nightmare.
The victims of the rampage are
believed to be in their 50s and
60s.
The gunman described as a 72
year old, and irregular patron
at the dance hall.
What do all these details tell
you?
>> It's interesting.
When we started he hit these
details, the fact he is Asian,
he frequented this facility, he
matched the age of the victims
who are older.
This is not a club --
I think of a club like
2030-year-olds, this is more of
a social club that he had some
relationship or cool neck shun
to someone there, whether
through relationship or
employment.
Because we just don't see
victims like this in terms of
their age on a Saturday night
in a mass shooting in the U.S..
But as well as the age of the
assailant.
He is older than most mass
shootings in the United States
are perpetuated by younger men.
>> Officials have not confirmed
motive yet.
It's too early.
But they do believe the gunman
tried to carry out a second
attack.
>> Yes.
Exactly.
In the same vicinity.
So this is a rampage in which
--
the reason why he's chosen this
place may not be for a legally
recognized hate crime --
and other words, targeted
against a race or ethnicity.
On the other hand, the
perception of what happened for
the Asian American and other
communities in the area was, as
we've been reporting, sort of
as a victimized community, this
is a community that has faced
harassment and targeting over
the last couple years here, one
that is often questioned a lab,
as we saw on that statement,
about whether they go out.
And remember, the lunar new
year celebration is a
celebration that sets the tone
for the rest of the year.
That's what it's about.
That's why those parties and
festivities and family.
After covid, this was the first
very large public gathering.
So the community is receiving
this, rightfully so, I think,
as an attack on them, even if
the motivation wasn't anti
Asian American.
>> And we understand that the
murder weapon it's been
described as some sort of
assault pistol.
>> It's a designation.
It was, I have to admit, in the
press conference, it was a
little vague.
It may be that they're still
studying the gun.
Pistol just describes,
essentially, the length of the
gun.
There are ways in which then
the capacity and the speed of
the bullets and the magazine
capacity can turn this into,
essentially, a semiautomatic
weapon, even though they are
designated as pistols.
It's a very contentious issue.
But obviously, here in the
United States.
So I believe that even though
he was vague as to the
specifics of what kind of gun
he was implying that while it
was not the typical semi
automatic weapon that we see in
the United States, an ar,
something like that, that it
killed people very quickly.
And that's shown in the
evidence.
When you look at the timeframe
for what happened on Saturday
night, the police receive a
phone call.
They're in the room within
about two and a half minutes.
That's a very quick response
time.